Jasper stood frozen, his earlier smugness completely wiped from his face. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "That’s... that’s impossible."
The instructor removed her glasses slowly, cleaning them with deliberate care as she studied Yohan. When she put them back on, her expression was unreadable.
"What’s your na?" she asked.
"Yohan."
"Yohan," she repeated, as if testing how it sounded. "Have you really never taken a dance class before?"
"Never," he confird, brushing his hair with his fingers.
She was quiet for a long mont, her gaze piercing. Then, almost reluctantly, she nodded.
"That was... flawless. Every transition, every beat. You didn’t miss a single count." She paused. "I’ve been teaching for fifteen years, and I’ve never seen soone pick up a routine that quickly."
Jasper looked like he’d been slapped. "But—that’s not—I practiced for weeks—"
"Talent isn’t fair," the instructor said simply, though her eyes never left Yohan. "Sotis it just... appears."
She crossed her arms, a hint of sothing—curiosity? suspicion?—flickering across her face.
"You’re not enrolled here, are you?"
"No, ma’am."
"Hmm." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That’s a sha. A real sha."
Turning to address the class, she raised her voice. "Let this be a lesson. Technique can be taught, but so people are simply born with an instinct for movent. Don’t let it discourage you—let it inspire you to work harder."
Then she looked back at Yohan, and for the first ti, there was the ghost of a smile on her lips.
"You and your girlfriend are free to stay."
Chloe’s face turned bright red at the word "girlfriend," but she looked too relieved to protest.
The instructor adjusted her glasses again, then took a step closer to Yohan.
"Actually... I have a proposition for you."
The room went quiet again, everyone leaning in to hear.
"As you may have noticed, I occasionally bring in senior students to assist with demonstrations." She gestured vaguely toward Jasper, who still looked like he was processing his existential crisis.
"But what I really need is soone with natural talent—soone who can pick up choreography quickly and execute it properly the first ti."
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"I want you to work as my assistant. You’ll help demonstrate routines, assist students when they’re struggling, and in exchange..."
A small smile played at the corner of her lips. "I’ll teach you everything I know. Proper technique, theory, performance skills—all of it,"
Yohan blinked. "You want ... as your assistant?"
"That’s what I said, isn’t it?" She raised an eyebrow. "You’re clearly a natural, but raw talent only gets you so far. With proper training, you could be exceptional."
"I could speak with the head of departnt about arranging so pay for you, as a part-ti worker, so it wouldn’t be entirely voluntary." She added it as an incentive.
The students around them erupted into whispers again.
"Lucky bastard..."
"He is going to get paid to attend the sa class we pay to attend!"
"I’ve been here two months and she barely even looks at ..."
Jasper looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.
The instructor held up a hand, silencing the murmurs. "Of course, this would require you to commit to attending my classes regularly. I don’t tolerate flakiness, and I expect dedication." Her gaze sharpened. "So? What do you say?"
Yohan glanced over at Chloe, who looked equally stunned and relieved. Then he looked back at the instructor—at her serious expression, at the opportunity she was offering.
’Surrounded by beautiful won, who admire ’
He couldn’t help but grin.
"When do I start?"
The instructor’s smile widened—just slightly, but it was there.
"Tomorrow. 9 AM sharp. Don’t be late." She turned back to address the class. "Now then, everyone back to your positions. We still have half a class left."
As the students shuffled back into formation, the girl who’d dragged Yohan into class earlier sidled up to him with starry eyes.
"So you’re going to be here regularly now?" she asked, her tone dripping with interest.
"Looks like it," Yohan replied.
She bead. "Perfect."
Across the room, Jasper caught his eye—and for a mont, Yohan could have sworn he saw the faintest flicker of sothing dangerous behind that average face.
But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a forced smile.
"Welco to the departnt," Jasper said flatly.
Yohan smiled back, equally insincere. "Thanks. I’m sure we’ll get along great."
The mont class ended, Yohan found himself surrounded.
"That was amazing!"
"Can you show that turn again?"
"Are you really not a student here?"
Girls clustered around him like he’d just won the lottery, their voices overlapping in an excited chorus.
The girl who’d dragged him into class had sohow positioned herself directly in front of him, leaning in close enough that he could sll her perfu.
"You should totally co to our practice sessions," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "We could use soone with your... talents."
"I’d love to get so private lessons," another chid in, her smile a bit too bright.
Yohan tried to maintain his composure, but internally he was celebrating. ’This is exactly what I imagined college would be like.’
Still, through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of Chloe gathering her things near the back of the studio. She moved quickly, efficiently, like she was trying to slip out unnoticed.
"Hey, uh, excuse for a second," Yohan said, gently extricating himself from the group.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"We were just getting to know you!"
He squeezed through the disappointed faces and hurried toward the exit where Chloe was already halfway out the door.
"Chloe! Wait up!"
She paused—barely—but didn’t turn around imdiately. When she did, her expression was carefully neutral.
"What is it?" she asked, adjusting the strap of her bag.
"I just wanted to check if you’re okay. That whole thing got pretty intense, and I know it was kind of my fault—"
"It’s fine," she cut him off, her tone polite but distant. "Thanks for helping out back there. I appreciate it."
"Yeah, but—"
"I really need to get to my next class," she interrupted again, already taking a step backward. "So if that’s all..."
Yohan frowned. Sothing felt off. She wasn’t making eye contact, and her entire deanor scread I want to leave.
"Are you sure everything’s okay? You seem—"
"Everything’s fine, Yohan." She finally t his gaze, and her eyes were flat, unreadable. "Look, I appreciate what you did. Really. But we’re not... I an, I haven’t forgotten about what happened first at the amusent park and then my house."
The words landed heavier than they should have.
"Right," Yohan said slowly. "I just thought since we got thrown into that ss together—"
"It was just a misunderstanding." Chloe shifted her weight, clearly eager to leave. "The teacher thought we were together, but we’re not. So there’s no need to make this into sothing it’s not."
Before Yohan could respond, one of the girls from class appeared at his elbow.
"There you are! We’re all going to grab coffee—you should co with us!"
Chloe took the opportunity imdiately. "See? Your fan club is waiting." There was the faintest hint of sothing in her voice—sarcasm? Annoyance? Both? Yohan couldn’t tell.
"I’ll see you around, Yohan."
And with that, she turned and walked away, her ponytail swaying behind her as she disappeared down the hallway.
Yohan stood there for a mont, watching her go, a strange feeling settling in his chest.
"Hey, earth to Yohan?" The girl tugged on his sleeve. "Coffee? Yes or no?"
He glanced back at the group of girls waiting expectantly near the studio entrance. They were all smiling at him, eager, interested.
This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Attention from beautiful won, a chance to be surrounded by them every day...
So why did Chloe’s cold shoulder always bother him so much?
"Yeah," he said finally, forcing a grin. "Coffee sounds good."
The girls cheered, imdiately pulling him back toward the group. Within seconds, he was engulfed again—questions flying, hands occasionally brushing against his arm, laughter filling the air.
But as they all headed toward the campus café together, Yohan couldn’t help glancing back one more ti toward the empty hallway where Chloe had disappeared.
She really wasn’t interested in rekindling what they used to have. A part of him thought after seeing her here, they would continue like the past never happened.
’Maybe it’s better this way... I don’t want to end up hurting her like last ti. Plus it’s not like I would miss her with all these pretty girls around’
There were at least five different girls walking him to the café
anwhile, in the campus courtyard...
Jasper slumped against the concrete bench, his jaw still tight from what he’d witnessed in class.
Across from him, Freddie leaned back with his arms spread across the backrest, while Hazard sat forward, cracking his knuckles thodically—a habit that usually preceded sothing violent.
"So let get this straight," Freddie said, his voice calm but edged with sothing dangerous. "Yohan just... showed up? At our departnt?"
"Not just showed up," Jasper corrected bitterly. "He humiliated in front of everyone. Made look like a fucking amateur."
Hazard stopped cracking his knuckles and looked up. "How?"
"He learned the entire routine—one I’ve been practicing for weeks—just from watching do it once. And then he perford it perfectly. Flawlessly. Like he’d been dancing his whole life." Jasper’s hands clenched into fists. "Professor Kim practically offered him a job on the spot."
Freddie’s expression didn’t change, but sothing flickered behind his eyes. "Professor Kim? The one who barely acknowledges anyone?"
"Yeah. That one." Jasper let out a harsh laugh. "She wants him as her assistant. Said she’d personally train him."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Hazard was the first to break it, his voice low and gravelly. "So he’s moving in on our territory now."
"Looks like it," Jasper muttered.
Freddie drumd his fingers against the bench, thinking. Unlike Hazard, who solved most problems with his fists, or Jasper, who let his emotions run hot, Freddie was the strategist. He was the one responsible for this group.
And Yohan’s presence alone was a direct challenge to Freddie’s status at school.
"This is a problem," Freddie said finally.
"No shit," Jasper snapped.
Freddie shot him a look—calm, cold, silencing. "Let finish. This is a problem because Yohan isn’t just so random guy anymore. If Professor Kim is backing him, he’s got legitimacy now. Reputation. People will start paying attention to him."
"They already are," Jasper said through gritted teeth. "You should’ve seen the way the girls were all over him after class. Like he was so kind of celebrity."
Hazard snorted. "Girls are stupid."
"Maybe," Freddie said, "but they’re also influential. Especially in a departnt like ours. If Yohan becos popular with them, he’ll have social capital. And if he’s got Professor Kim’s endorsent on top of that..." He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.
Jasper leaned forward, his voice dropping. "So what do we do?"
Freddie was quiet for a mont, his gaze distant as he worked through the angles.
"Don’t worry just leave it to ,"
User Comments
0 comments from readers